Effects of secondary reaction of primary volatiles on oil/gas yield and quality in oil shale pyrolysis

The reaction behaviors of primary volatiles from oil shale pyrolysis were investigated using a two-stage reactor under different in-situ thermal reaction conditions. The reaction parameters of secondary reactor, such as, reactor temperature, atmosphere and residence time, were studied for their effects on the pyrolysis oil/gas yield and quality. The results showed that the reaction temperature had profound influence on the oil and gas yield. The pyrolyzed shale oil and gas yield reduced by 15% and increased by 20% (mass) respectively, with the temperature of 2nd stage reactor increasing from 600 to 650°C under optimized reaction condition of 1st stage. Comparing with nitrogen atmosphere, the liquid oil yield could be enhanced by 5% when steam was added as the reaction atmosphere in the second stage, and the corresponding oil was mainly concentrated in the gasoline and diesel distillations (that is, boiling point